Calgary Flames Hire Brad Larsen As Assistant Coach
After a one-year gap away from the game, Brad Larsen will return behind the bench for the 2024-25 NHL season. After a lengthy 13-year run in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, the Calgary Flames have hired Larsen to serve as an assistant coach on Ryan Huska‘s staff.
Not only does Larsen have experience behind the bench in the NHL, he has also spent 10 years as a player having suited up for the Colorado Avalanche and Atlanta Thrashers. Larsen won a Stanley Cup Championship with the Avalanche during the 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs and back-to-back gold medals with Team Canada during the IIHF World Junior Championships in 1996 and 1997.
Larsen was named an assistant coach on John Tortorella‘s staff in Columbus ahead of the 2014-15 NHL season and held that role until Tortorella’s exit after the 2020-21 season. Next in line for the Blue Jackets, Larsen was named the eighth head coach in franchise history on June 10, 2021. Over 162 games spent as head coach, Columbus compiled a 62-86-16 record under Larsen leading to his firing after the 2022-23 NHL season.
Now headed to Alberta, Larsen brings some experience to Huska’s staff in Calgary as the latter begins his second season as head coach of the franchise. In the press release from the Flames organization about the hiring, Larsen said, “I’m super excited to be joining the Flames organization and appreciative of the opportunity to work alongside Ryan Huska and his staff. I’ve had so much respect for this organization for a long time, its history and solid reputation around the league. As well, I have a great affinity for the city and its beautiful setting near the Rocky Mountains. I can’t wait to get started“.
East Notes: Forton, Bergeron, Colliton, Alnefelt
In preparation for a busy offseason, the Buffalo Sabres are also ironing out the hierarchy in their front office. Earlier today, the team announced that Jerry Forton had been promoted to Assistant General Manager and Chris Bergeron has been hired as an amateur free-agent scout.
The promotion is a long time coming for Forton, as he has spent the last decade with the Sabres organization in a variety of positions. Originally brought to Buffalo as an assistant coach for the 2013-14 NHL season, Forton has also spent time as an amateur scout, the Director of Collegiate Scouting, and his most recent role as Director of Amateur Scouting. Forton will oversee the entirety of the Amateur Scouting and Professional Scouting Departments in his new capacity.
Bergeron, on the other hand, is stepping into his first opportunity with an NHL organization. Even though his coaching career began in the 2000-01 NCAA season as an assistant coach for Miami University of Ohio, Bergeron spent nine years (2010-2019) as head coach of Bowling Green State University’s hockey team before returning to Miami University of Ohio as a head coach until this past season.
Other notes:
- Recently named as an associate coach for the New Jersey Devils, Jeremy Colliton‘s primary responsibilities have already been made public. Shortly after the hiring was made official, team reporter for the Devils, Amanda Stein, shared that Colliton will oversee the team’s forwards and powerplay. During his tenure as head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, the team finished 22nd and 23rd in the AHL in powerplay percentage under Colliton. However, with the Devils boasting some of the best top-end talent, the team’s powerplay should still be an efficient part of the organization.
- Just over a month ago, it was reported that goaltending prospect, Hugo Alnefelt, would be leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning organization for an opportunity in his native Sweden. In an interview with Martin Jansson of HockeySvierge, it does not appear Alnefelt will be home for good, as he envisions returning to North America at some point. The 23-year-old goaltending prospect was quoted, “It’s hard to know if you’re ready or not and I don’t know if you can really be ready if you do something you’ve never tried. But there is absolutely nothing I regret that I went over so early. The plan now is not to be at home for good, it is to develop and take the step back“.
Sam Carrick Fined By Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety issued their only punishment from Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, fining Edmonton Oilers’ forward Sam Carrick a total of $2,213.54, the maximum allowable, for slashing Florida Panthers’ defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. Elliotte Friedman of TSN followed up the report by announcing the league would not pass down any additional discipline.
The play in question occurred near the end of Game 2 after Kulikov delivered a hard hit to Carrick. Afterward, Carrick slashed Kulikov in what is best described as his ‘nether region’, resulting in a two-minute minor penalty for slashing, and a 10-minute game misconduct. Since Carrick was ejected from the game, teammate Evander Kane served his two-minute penalty.
Expectedly, the Department of Player Safety will expand its leniency throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. Still, it is surprising that this will be the only supplemental discipline from Game 2. Aside from Carrick, defenseman Vincent Desharnais and forward Warren Foegele were ejected from the Oilers bench, with forward Leon Draisaitl delivering a controversial hit to Aleksander Barkov.
Nevertheless, the Oilers organization should view the lack of punishment as a silver lining to their Game 2 loss, as they will not be forced to lose any players for a pivotal Game 3. Managing only one goal through the first six periods of the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton will need all hands on deck to get back into this series.
Marco Sturm “Deep In the Process” Of Becoming Sharks Head Coach
According to a report from Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now a few days ago, the San Jose Sharks were believed to be closing in on Ryan Warsofsky as their next head coach. However, Max Miller of The Hockey News reports that Marco Sturm is also thought to be deep in the interview process, which has been delaying the eventual announcement of the new bench boss.
At the very least, despite numerous candidates being rumored for the role, Sturm and Warsofsky are separating themselves from the pack. Jeff Blashill is the only other candidate confirmed to have gotten a second interview but it is believed that his chances of becoming the next head coach in San Jose have dropped significantly.
The hiring of Sturm would represent a homecoming of sorts, as he started his professional career as a player with the Sharks organization back in 1997-98 after being signed out of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Sturm spent nearly eight years in San Jose before he was traded to the Boston Bruins in exchange for the eventual Hart Memorial Trophy winner of the 2005-06 season, Joe Thornton.
After his playing career ended after the 2011-12 NHL season, Sturm bounced around as a head coach at the international level for Team Germany, coaching the country’s World Junior Championship team, World Championship team, and Deutschland Cup team, among others. It wasn’t until the 2018-19 season that Sturm returned to the NHL as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings. Sturm would spend four years in that role before finally becoming the head coach of the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, a position which he still holds.
Sturm has coached the Reign to a 76-55-8-5 record over the last two years and has coached the team as far as the Second Round of the Calder Cup playoffs. If the Sharks hire Sturm as the organization’s next head coach, it would be the highest role Sturm has achieved at the professional level as a coach.
Nevertheless, no decision has been made up to this point, and Warsofsky still has a legitimate chance of being the team’s next head coach. Having plenty of experience with the organization, Warsofsky has spent the last two years as an assistant coach for the Sharks and almost became the head coach before San Jose ultimately chose David Quinn.
Free Agent Focus: Ottawa Senators
Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Senators.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Shane Pinto – After a contract holdout over the summer and a 41-game suspension from the NHL for violating the league’s gambling policies, Pinto settled for a one-year, $775K contract with
the Senators when everything was said and done. Pinto rewarded Ottawa’s loyalty, proving that his 2022-23 NHL season was not a fluke. In 41 games, Pinto scored nine goals and 27 points, finishing 11th on the team in scoring despite playing in half as many games as his peers. The Senators organization has much more financial flexibility, unlike last year. Infamously, the Senators former front office signed free agent Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, $5MM contract, eliminating any room to retain Pinto. As a legitimate top-six forward, Ottawa should be able to give Pinto a four- to five-year deal between $4MM-$5MM annually this summer.
D Erik Brannstrom – As the headlining prospect in the deal that landed Mark Stone with the Vegas Golden Knights, Brannstrom had high expectations attached to him in the Senators organization. At the AHL level with the Chicago Wolves and the Belleville Senators, Brannstrom showed flashes of being a top-four puck-moving defensive prospect. Unfortunately, Brannstrom has been able to sustain any offensive production at the NHL level, topping out with 20 points achieved this past year. A few days ago, it had been reported that Ottawa is undecided about issuing Brannstrom a qualifying offer this offseason, which would allow the young defenseman to sign with any team in the league.
Other RFAs: F Parker Kelly, F Boris Katchouk, F Angus Crookshank, D Lassi Thomson, G Kevin Mandolese, G Mads Sogaard
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Dominik Kubalik – Included in the return package in the trade that sent Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings, Kubalik primarily served as a middle-six scoring option for the Senators this season. Kubalik finished the 2023-24 NHL season with 11 goals and four assists in 74 games while posting some of his career-worst defensive and possession metrics. Now that Ottawa has some flexibility to improve upon Kubalik in the middle-six of their forward core, he will most likely head for a different organization this summer. Kubalik could look for an open role with any of the Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, or Chicago Blackhawks organizations — as each will be scouring the market for any goal-scoring talent they can find.
Other UFAs: F Rourke Chartier, F Josh Currie, F Matthew Highmore, F Bokondji Imama, F Jiri Smejkal, D Dillon Heatherington
Projected Cap Space
Now that the upper limit of the 2024-25 NHL salary has officially been set at $88MM, we now have a clear picture of what each team will be working with this summer. The Senators organization owns just under $12.5MM in cap space this summer without any relatively pricey restricted or unrestricted free agents to worry about.
With this being the first offseason for Steve Staios at the helm of Ottawa’s front office, he should have the flexibility to bring in two to three NHL-caliber talents to round out the team’s depth. Furthermore, if Staios can move out the contracts of Jakob Chychrun or Mathieu Joseph before free agency opens up on July 1st, the Senators could acquire a top-level goaltender for the organization via trade.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Evening Notes: Bowman, Quenneville, LTIR, Levshunov
Touching on a variety of topics before the start of the Stanley Cup Final, Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke directly about the futures of executive Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville. With both rumored to be speaking reinstatement into the NHL, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that neither will be back in the league next season.
Around this time last season, at the same press conference, Bettman confirmed that both were seeking individual appointments to consider reinstatement. As things would turn out, neither has returned to the NHL and may never be awarded reinstatement while Bettman is Commissioner.
Both Qunneville and Bowman resigned from their previous positions in 2021 after both were found partly responsible for “inadequate internal procedures and insufficient and untimely response in the handling of matters related to former video coach Brad Aldrich’s employment” according to the league’s investigation of the sexual assault allegations made by former-player Kyle Beach during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Despite rumored interest around the league over the last two years, it appears both will have to continue and wait for Bettman to consider reinstatement.
Other notes:
- According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Deputy Commissioner of the NHL, Bill Daly, has begun taking calls from numerous General Managers across the league regarding LTIR usage around the salary cap in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Unlikely to be resolved before the end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the league and the NHLPA, it is most likely an issue that will be debated over the next rendition of the CBA. Over the last several years, teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights have allegedly kept players “hidden” on LTIR throughout the regular season, only to be activated for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs to avoid the need for salary cap compliance.
- Even if the Blackhawks take Artyom Levshunov with the second-overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft according to their reported interest, he may not be playing for them next season. In an interview between Levshunov and Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago, Levshunov is undecided about playing in the NHL next or returning to Michigan State University for his sophomore season. If selected by Chicago, it is more than likely that Levshunov would have direct access to top-level minutes, which could be enticing for the 18-year-old Belarusian. However, if Levshunov slips to third overall and winds up in Anaheim, a loaded defensive pipeline may make Levshunov reconsider and push his rookie campaign a year or two down the road.
How Will The Blues Manage Their No-Trade Clauses?
Even before the 2023-24 NHL season, the St. Louis Blues held slim hopes of cracking one of the top three spots in the NHL’s Central Division. The team was only a year removed from finishing 37-38-11, falling to sixth place in the division, and trading off the likes of Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly during that year’s trade deadline season.
Aside from moving out veteran rentals, the General Manager of the organization, Doug Armstrong, became adamant about shaking up the team’s defensive core last summer. In one of the biggest trades to not happen, the Blues had a deal in place to send struggling defenseman Torey Krug and his bloated contract to the Philadelphia Flyers. As things would turn out, Krug ultimately used the no-trade protection given to him in his current deal to block his inclusion in the trade, leading to a much smaller deal of Kevin Hayes being acquired for a sixth-round draft selection.
While largely bringing back the same defensive core into the 2023-24 season, the Blues performed much better but would end up on the outside looking in. As the best team to not make it into the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, St. Louis finished fifth in the Central Division with a 43-33-6 record. Although Jordan Binnington put together a solid year, the Blues’ downfall would again be their defensive core and lackluster play.
Heading into the summer, St. Louis will once again be looking to shake up their defensive core, which will require superb innovation from Armstrong. Krug, Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko, and Nick Leddy have full no-trade clauses built into their contracts until next summer, meaning Armstrong will need their full cooperation for any trade moving them out of the organization. However, even if Armstrong could convince one of the players to waive their protection, the return value would likely be subpar at best.
If one is not moved this offseason, the quartet will account for just under 27% of the Blues’ total cap space next season. Armstrong could look to move one in a classic hockey trade to address other organizational needs, or strictly go the route of a cost-saving technique. Leddy should represent the most likely to move out of the four given that his contract will end after the 2025-26 NHL season with a manageable $4MM AAV for the remaining years.
Approaching his 15th season in the NHL, Leddy just turned 33 years old and has continued to be a reliable puck-mover from the back end. Throughout the regular season, Leddy played in all 82 games for St. Louis and scored three goals while putting up 25 assists, 23 of which were at even strength. If Armstrong can convince the Eden Prairie, MN native to waive his no-trade protection this offseason, moving out Leddy would allow the Blues to save valuable cap space and open a spot for Scott Perunovich in the top four of the defensive core.
Ethan Bear To Be Activated From NHLPA Player Assistance Program
Ethan Bear is expected to be activated from the NHLPA Player Assistance Program according to CapFriendly, although the Washington Capitals have yet to confirm the news. Bear originally went into the program on March 27th of this year, missing the last 18 games of the regular season for the Capitals and an additional four postseason contests.
It has been an interesting year and a half for Bear, who, after having injured his shoulder in last summer’s IIHF World Championships, was non-tendered by the Vancouver Canucks, allowing him to become a free agent. Since the injury took nearly six months to heal, Bear had to wait until late December before ultimately signing with a team.
At the time of his signing, reporting in early December suggested Bear was being monitored by three teams — the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canucks, and his eventual landing spot, the Capitals. On December 28th, Washington signed Bear to a two-year, $4.125MM contract, eventually enticing the defenseman with an extra year on the contract.
Unfortunately for Bear, he was used sporadically by the Capitals, playing in 24 games while managing just under 15 minutes of ice time. Coupled with the lengthy layoff from the shoulder injury, Bear did not look like the same defenseman from only a season ago.
Now that Bear is fully out of the Player Assistance Program, he will have a second opportunity to prove his worth in Washington. However, with notable right-handed shot defensemen already signed for the 2024-25 season, Bear may ask for a change of scenery this offseason.
Rangers Notes: Fox, Trouba, Vesey, Wheeler, Wennberg
With any team’s end-of-season media availability, especially after a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs, a slew of injuries are typically revealed to the public. During the media availability for the New York Rangers, injuries were reported for defensemen Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, while the injury keeping Jimmy Vesey out of the Eastern Conference Finals was brought to light.
In the team’s Round One series against the Washington Capitals, Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today reports Fox reaggravated his knee injury during a knee-on-knee collision with Capitals’ defenseman Nick Jensen. After only one month into the 2023-24 NHL season, Fox was placed on the Rangers’ long-term injured reserve due to a knee injury, keeping him out of the lineup from November 2nd to November 29th. The change in play was noticeable, as Fox only tallied six assists in 12 games following the series against Washington, a stark dropoff compared to his previous postseason play.
Staying on the blue line, Arthur Staple of The Athletic reported that defenseman and captain Jacob Trouba dealt with a broken ankle. However, later reports suggested that the fractured ankle fully healed by the end of March, and Trouba was largely healthy for New York’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Still, Trouba set a career-high in postseason points with seven in 16 games but still led the team with 22 PIMs during the playoffs.
Lastly, Dan Rosen of the NHL mentions that Vesey was dealing with a separated shoulder during the penultimate series which would keep him out of the lineup. Thankfully, the report suggests that Vesey will not require surgery to repair his shoulder, and should return after a few weeks of rehab.
Other Rangers notes:
- Playing on a team not named the Winnipeg Jets for the first time in 12 years, the 2023-24 NHL season may have been the last for forward Blake Wheeler. Mercogliano of USA Today relayed that a decision regarding his future has not been made, but he will talk it through with his family this summer. It would not be surprising to see Wheeler hang up his skates, as the soon-to-be 38-year-old veteran suffered a gruesome leg injury on February 15th against the Montreal Canadiens — an injury that would keep him off the ice for nearly four months.
- Peter Baugh of The Athletic reported that Alexander Wennberg would like to return to the team this offseason after being acquired by the Rangers at this year’s trade deadline. Wennberg was originally acquired from the Seattle Kraken for New York’s second-round pick in 2024 and Dallas’ fourth-round pick in 2025. Brought in to fill the void in the team’s third-line center position, Wennberg put up two points in 16 postseason games for the Rangers while averaging nearly 16 and a half minutes of ice time.
New Jersey Devils Willing To Trade First-Round Pick
After hiring Sheldon Keefe to take over head coaching duties for the New Jersey Devils, the General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald is now moving on to the next item on his docket for the offseason. Earlier today, Josh Gold-Smith of TheScore reported that Fitzgerald is entertaining moving on from the team’s 10th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft to acquire a top-tier goaltender.
Speaking with Mike G. Morreale of the NHL on Monday, Fitzgerald was quoted, “If we feel it helps us now and in the foreseeable future, then, yes, I’m listening. I haven’t gotten anything yet, but the more I talk to teams, I say ‘Listen, I’m open to moving No. 10, but it’s going to have to be something (significant)“. If the Devils do end up trading the 10th overall pick it should be a high enough return to acquire the likes of Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames, Juuse Saros from the Nashville Predators, or Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, assuming the Devils can sign one of the latter two to an extension this summer.
Specifically in New Jersey, there is precedent from the organization in trading a top-10 pick for an established goaltender. After making it to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, the Devils cratered in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, earning the ninth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. To soften the blow of the eventual departure of franchise legend Martin Brodeur, New Jersey traded the ninth overall pick (which would be used to select Bo Horvat) to the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Cory Schneider.
Although the Devils only made the playoffs once during Schneider’s seven-year run in the Garden State, the team acquired a 26-year goaltender coming off a .927 save percentage over 30 games in the prior year for a top-10 selection. Factoring in trades for goaltenders over the last several years, the 10th overall pick should satisfy the desired return for all three goaltenders listed.